Neuropsych full test summer 2015, then what?

Parents Forum Learning Differences and Challenges - LD, ADHD
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<p>My sophomore son has started at a top boarding school in September. He is disorganized, immature, unmotivated (except when he decided he wanted to go to this school...) He tests extremely well, writes well but takes way too long, excels in math, computer science, languages. His first midterm grades were very good, with the exception of social studies where he handed in one assignment half incomplete.... </p>

<p>I had called him my Dr. jekyll/mr Hyde and the comments from his teacher certainly reflected that. Six teachers refered to him as motivated, focussed and one used"studious!" A first, we laughed about that one! His socials teacher said he was not focused, organized and always seems disinterested. The most interesting comments were from the math teacher, though he is getting an A and on his way to AP next year, she says he dorsn't focus in class and goofs off when he should be trying to get 100% which he is capable of. SSAT score at 99 percentile, one incoorect answer.. </p>

<p>Can an ADHD child turn his concentration on and off based on the class,bteacher and classmates? The way he does homework has always made us suspect a condition.. But twice I was dismissed by teachers who said he suffers from immaturity, and one of those teachers recommended another boy to be tested. When he was in junior high, I talked to the counselor who shared with me that she too suspected when she first met him at orientation, but then saw him quickly settling down and she too said he was just immature.... He does do well academically though he is inconsistent. </p>

<p>His first weeks at BS was tough. When assignments were first due, he suffered diarrehea for several days. At home, he would occasionally have tension stomach but only twice a year, and not during the most stressful times either. He was doing fine until he begun struggling with socials. He would stare and not do his work.... so unproductive, he asked the counsellor to see whether he could get ADHD meds other kids he knew had! The counselor wanted to wait and get feedback from his teachers. Again, teachers reject the idea of ADD. After speaking with his socials teacher, she gave him an extra week to do the assignment which he then completed magnificently though he had severe stomach problems. But after handing it in, he was in great spirits, feeling confident that he could get it done right. He doesn't think he needs meds right now. </p>

<p>However, I promised that next summer, I would get him a full neuropsych evaluation inlckuding WISC, ADD, anxiety, etc to finally get a clearer picture of how his mind works. He really wants this done. My question now is, then what? </p>

<p>We will then have data to prove what we already know, but what good is that?
He has a tremendously high IQ, has executive functioning problems, borderline ADD and some anxiety issues as well. He is not open to the idea of a ADD coach cuz he says other people's organization methods don't work for him... If there was some peer support group, he would be into that but he is so academically high achieving, he would stand out.... </p>

<p>The only possible benefit I can see is if somewhere down the line when academics gets really tough, he may have access to meds... But I would prefer for him to go to a lower level school, work at a less pressure job than for him to need meds to be at "the best" places.... </p>

<p>I guess I am balking at the high cost of a full battery of tests without getting much in return... Are there benefits I am missing. </p>

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<p>Try to book the testing for January. Reports can take a long time. Then, developing a junior year learning plan with the school and entering needed treatment can also take a lot of time. See if ped could prescribe the testing and how insurance covers it, if at all. He needs a baseline of testing. Also, colleges require test results for consideration for accommodations. Consider tuition insurance for college, too. This is nothing to play with and it can have ramifications in future career and relationships. And, yes, people with ADD/ADHD (and/or anxiety) can be hyper-focused on one area and completely disinterested in another. Why would he be “immature?”</p>

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<p>Stomach issues and inconsistency are hallmark symptoms.</p>

<p>Go to your local public school (administration or psychiatrist) and request testing for an IEP. Results of testing can depend on the administrator, but professionals hired at public schools are competent. If you choose to go this route, the testing would be no-cost. Your local school district tied to the physical address of your home, is responsible for the IEP regardless of your child’s actual school situation (i.e. home, private, public, or boarding), at least in our state.</p>

<p>It is more likely to get worse as stress is added and as the child gets older and his relationship with you evolves than it is to get better on its own. I agree with @dyiu13 that you should not wait.</p>

<p>The “then what” part of your question can take some trial and error, so it would be great to start ASAP. And yes, the performance on a subject can vary widely depending on interest (subject, respect for teacher, etc.)</p>

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<p>You can find instructions about letters for requesting evaluation for sped, and lots more advice, here: <a href=“http://www.wrightslaw.com/”>http://www.wrightslaw.com/&lt;/a&gt;. Might want buy Wrights’ book. </p>

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<p>My daughter is dyslexic and gifted.</p>

<p>Since your son is attending a boarding school, I am guessing that you would have the means to pay for private testing (it was less than 2,000 dollars) We paid twice through the years and had testing done by the local school system when she moved to public school for high school. If I were you I would do both. Go ahead and get something scheduled at the public school for over winter break because it may take a while and they didn’t seem to do it over the summer. You may need to remind them that it is the law and that they (it is my understanding) were required to make an effort to identify your son even though he didn’t attend public school (again, check the Wrightslaw website) </p>

<p>So do the public school and then if it isn’t satisfactory to you, pay for the private testing this summer. You don’t need to do anything with the results. Our large public school did not know what to do with our bright daughter, so you may have to pay someone to re-test or just look at the public school results.</p>

<p>Also, we used a college planner to keep our child organized and on point. When I was interviewing college planners, I dropped the term “twice-exceptional” and that weeded out the cookie cutter planners. I bet your son’s school has that taken care of though.</p>

<p>Also, consider having him apply to schools where he would be one of the best students and his learning style will not be as big an issue. </p>

<p>What really has worked (so far) for my child is to determine what she was good at and to pursue a degree where she is not required to do much, if any, work that plays to her weaknesses. I think your son’s excellent high school education will fill in for any “well-rounded” education that folks my deem necessary for success. </p>

<p>I really think he will surprise you. My child had a tremendous jump in maturity at college.</p>

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<p>College accommodations have really helped my son a lot. We showed the school his test results, and they have been wonderful. He gets double time for tests, and permission to turn in assignments late if he needs to. He can also take exams in the Office of Students with Disabilities. I don’t think he would be a college senior if it weren’t for the accommodations!</p>

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<p>I encourage any family that is on the fence to do testing, as soon as possible. We found the results to be interesting and helpful. We received a detailed accounting of our child’s strengths and weaknesses, and explanations for behaviors that were getting in the way of learning and relationships. We have used the information to get accommodations at school, and also to help teachers come up with useful strategies. It can be hard at first to see your child’s diagnoses if he is given any, but in the end it is worth it. Most of all, it gave us a window into our child’s life that has increased our understanding and confidence.</p>

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<p>Turning focus on and off is a classic ADHD trait - kids (and adults) tend to hyper focus on things that are interesting to them and will dislike having to switch their attention to another task, and be almost incapable of focusing on tasks that are of low interest. (BTW if he loves math, he still may not focus in math if the class is too easy for him.) It is very common for a child with ADHD who is bright to fly under the radar. However, the tests for ADHD are not that exact and it tends to co-exist with other learning differences. A full evaluation (if you can afford private it will be more comprehensive) will be useful. </p>

<p>The good news is the highly structured atmosphere at most boarding schools is very helpful to many kids who are ADHD if they are bright enough to do the work and have the endurance needed to keep up with the brisk pace. Anxiety can also look a lot like ADHD! If you are feeling anxious in class, your ability to process (i.e. learn) can be very impaired. That deer-in-the-headlights stare is classic anxiety. A slower processing speed can also cause anxiety and look like an attention issue but is something entirely different. These problems may appear to be ADHD in class, but require different “fixes.” </p>

<p>The evaluation will help you nail down the trouble, and after that, there really is no one-size fits all answer. There is a lot of trial and error until you find what works best for your child (example medication versus extended time versus more structured study hall etc.) But the testing will tell you what changes to make that will be most useful to your son. He will likely stay in all his same classes etc. but he may need to be seated closer to the front, or he may need to color code his folders and keep everything in one binder to avoid losing assignments. A good school will also modify his tests and projects if merited. (My daughters are allowed to have calculators for example. History may give him a word bank on his test to aid a poor working memory.) A good eval includes a list of suggested changes to make both at home and in the classroom that is specific to his learning profile. So although your son’s life may not change terribly much just because he now has a diagnosis, and most of his classmates will not even notice any changes that you do make, these small modifications can make school much more manageable. </p>

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Where do you even begin with testing? How do you know what tests to have and who to administer them? Curious as we have a bright underperformer and I wonder if testing would reveal anything or if it’s just a motivation issue.

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Wow. My apologies to everyone with their great responses… We had sort of forgotten about this issue when things settled down for him. And yes, it’s a familiar pattern for us.

But after reading all the comments, I will be asking the school about getting him tested. I think if the school recommends the tests, it will be covered. If they don’t and we still want it, it would be very costly. A psychiatrist I contacted last summer quoted me $6000 for IQ plus, anxiety plus ADD, one follow up, etc…
London203, I found this person on the Internet, no personal recs.
That’s money we do balk at. We are not poor but he is on a generous FA for BS…

Academically my son does well. I inquired about getting him a tutor, to sort of help him manage tasks, but they said with his marks, he should try asking adults for assistance more. So clearly, he is not deemed as a student needing help. But being at BS, the school has noticed his lack of time management and organization skills and one anxiety incident.

Right now, I am trying to get him to develop better self management skills, better communication skills which he needs. It’s not easy with him being so far away but being away has taught him how to manage his life on his own and reach out to adults who are not his parents. BS is very structured which is great and supportive of all students so it is providing a good transition to college life, I hope!

Thanks for all the stories! It is really nice to know others with similar kids!

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Chemmchiminey, do your daughters actually color code??? My son simply will not adhere to any system of organizing. My husband has tried many systems with him, but he just won’t. And yes, he does use one binder, one big bag method… At BS though, he does have to spend at least 20 mins a day cleaning and organizing and that’s more than I ever got him to do…

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Kymom95, so great to hear that your daughter is doing well at a major she enjoys in college! I absolutely agree that the key is to put our kids in situations catering to their strengths and away from their weaknesses. For my son, he has tremendous hyper focus so he tests extremely well. He is fine with in class essays but long essays with extended deadlines are another story, extensions won’t help because he will only start writing later…

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$6000 for testing is crazy! We paid about about $1800 for a very prestigious evaluation center in Texas to do the full neuropsych testing (our insurance would not pay). It is definitely worth it to find out what, if any, learning or attention challenges your child faces. It will also point out areas of strength, which can help direct his education as well. As others have said, many things can look like ADHD, and it often co-exists with other conditions as well.

My son was tested as a freshman in high school and we were surprised at the results. We were pretty sure about the ADD (confirmed), but were shocked to learn he also has dyslexia and dysgraphia, and the testing also showed that he has a slow processing speed. It was tough to get those diagnoses at first, but knowing where he struggles and why have taken us out of the realm of being frustrated with his “lack of effort” or “inconsistency.” (And yes, immaturity and inconsistency are absolute hallmarks of ADHD, as is stress and anxiety over fear of not being able to complete a task).

My son is also a sophomore at a boarding school this year, and it has been really helpful for him to be in that structured environment. The classes are very small (8-10), so he is almost forced to be more engaged. That alone has made a world of difference in his learning, but the school also has a Learning Center that offers extra support (for an additional cost, of course!). He works in there one class period with a teacher who focuses on study skills, organization, and time management. He now willing (truly - LOL) makes flash cards and uses a planner daily, plus he has even color-coded at times … shocking. I will say that he is super-engaged in all but one class, and that’s the one where he doesn’t care for the teacher. He does pretty well in there, but he doesn’t give it the same level of attention (he is on medication, so it’s not for lack of ability to focus). He also has an extra time accommodation as well as one for taking tests in the LC and has figured out when he needs to use these; he’s really become much more mature and independent as he’s learned to advocate for himself.

Hope you are able to get your son tested and that you learn some things that will help him be even more successful without feeling so anxious about it!